Do you, or maybe that someone else, let arguments get to a “knock down and drag out” extreme. Must you have the last, final yell. Does your temper flare too much.
It Might Not Be You, But –
You cannot fully control the other person. But you can gain control of yourself. So, guess who has to take control and end or calm the argument.
When a Dispute Gets Too Intense
When a dispute gets too intense, it’s best to backoff and look it from afar. Get out of the face of your adversary. With a cool head from a thousand feet up above it, the controversy seems simple and the resolution comes easier.
A Christian should be objecting to the offending sin, not getting personal – not attacking the offender.
Sometimes it is difficult to withdraw and quietly consider the conflict. In those situations, you still need back off! Leave. Get away from the heat of the conflict and unpleasantness. Even if it’s just to go to your bedroom (shut, but don’t slam the door).
After You Calm Down
When you calm down, then contemplate the issue. Many times, the matter will appear petty and unworthy of the contention. Most assuredly the point will be of less value than the relationship with the person you confronted.
Who knows? You might even be wrong.
After you’ve given it some peaceful thought, you can go back and revisit the issue without hostility. You need to start with an apology – even if you’re right, you were wrong to let the argument get so intense.
In conclusion, the Daily Bread email message sent on 10/3/2022 says,
2 Corinthians 2:1 – But I determined this for my own sake, that I would not come to you in sorrow again. (NASB)
Paul was explaining why he would not be coming back to Corinth for a while. The last time he was in Corinth, it was a painful visit and Paul left in distress (2 Corinthians 12:4; 13:1, 2). In the beginning of Chapter 2 of 2nd Corinthians, the winter of A.D. 55, Paul has let things cool down and is making plans to return to Corinth.
Paul did not stand and fight when conditions got hot and angry. He knew that it was best to just turn away and leave while the tempers erupted.
Pray to God for the wisdom to turn away and the patience to peacefully consider conflicts.
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